Animals in Celtic Life and Myth

Animals in Celtic Life and Myth PDF Author: Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415185882
Category : Animals, Mythical
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
For the Celts, a rural people whose survival depended greatly upon their environment, the sanctity of natural phenomena and of the elements led to extreme respect and veneration of animals. Both wild and domesticated species became the subject of elaborate rituals and formed the basis of profound religious beliefs. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth examines the intimate relationship which developed between humans and animals, in a society in which animals were central to all aspects of life. Miranda Green draws on evidence from a variety of early Celtic documents, as well as archaeology and iconography, to reveal that the Celts believed many animals to be sacred, either possessing divine status in their own right or acting as mediators between gods and humans. She covers the crucial role of animals in the Celtic economy, in hunting and warfare, in Celtic art and literature, and in religion and ritual. The attitude of the Celts toward animals closely connected the cult and the everyday: warfare was bound up with religion; the killing of animals was associated with ritual; in stories, heroes talk to animals in their own language and gods change at will from human to animal form. The author covers the important period between 800 BC and AD 400, during which much of Europe was turning to Christianity, and examples range from Ireland to Czechoslovakia. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth will be invaluable to students of archaeology, anthropology and history.

Animals in Celtic Life and Myth

Animals in Celtic Life and Myth PDF Author: Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415185882
Category : Animals, Mythical
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Get Book Here

Book Description
For the Celts, a rural people whose survival depended greatly upon their environment, the sanctity of natural phenomena and of the elements led to extreme respect and veneration of animals. Both wild and domesticated species became the subject of elaborate rituals and formed the basis of profound religious beliefs. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth examines the intimate relationship which developed between humans and animals, in a society in which animals were central to all aspects of life. Miranda Green draws on evidence from a variety of early Celtic documents, as well as archaeology and iconography, to reveal that the Celts believed many animals to be sacred, either possessing divine status in their own right or acting as mediators between gods and humans. She covers the crucial role of animals in the Celtic economy, in hunting and warfare, in Celtic art and literature, and in religion and ritual. The attitude of the Celts toward animals closely connected the cult and the everyday: warfare was bound up with religion; the killing of animals was associated with ritual; in stories, heroes talk to animals in their own language and gods change at will from human to animal form. The author covers the important period between 800 BC and AD 400, during which much of Europe was turning to Christianity, and examples range from Ireland to Czechoslovakia. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth will be invaluable to students of archaeology, anthropology and history.

Animals in Celtic Life and Myth

Animals in Celtic Life and Myth PDF Author: Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415050302
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Green examines the intimate relationship between the Celts and animals, covering their crucial role in the Celtic economy, in hunting and warfare, in art and literature and in religion and ritual. The book covers the period between 800 BC and 400 AD.

The Celtic Myths That Shape the Way We Think

The Celtic Myths That Shape the Way We Think PDF Author: Mark Williams
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 050077255X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
A fresh and revealing look at the stories at the heart of Celtic mythology, exploring their cultural impact throughout history up to the present day. The Celtic Myths That Shape the Way We Think explores a fascinating question: how do myths that were deeply embedded in the customs and beliefs of their original culture find themselves retold and reinterpreted across the world, centuries or even millennia later? Focusing on the myths that have had the greatest cultural impact, Mark Williams reveals the lasting influence of Celtic mythology, from medieval literature to the modern fantasy genre. An elegantly written retelling, Williams captures the splendor of the original myths while also delving deeper into the history of their meanings, offering readers an intelligent and engaging take on these powerful stories. Beautiful illustrations of the artworks these myths have inspired over the centuries are presented in a color plates section and in black and white within the text. Ten chapters recount the myths and explore the lasting influence of legendary figures, including King Arthur, the Celtic figure who paradoxically became the archetypal English national hero; the Irish and Scottish hero Finn MacCool, who as “Fingal” caught the imagination of Napoleon Bonaparte, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Felix Mendelssohn; and the Welsh mythical figure Blodeuwedd, magically created from flowers of the oak, who inspired W. B. Yeats. Williams’s mythological expertise and captivating writing style make this volume essential reading for anyone seeking a greater appreciation of the myths that have shaped our artistic and literary canons and continue to inspire today.

Celtic Myth and Religion

Celtic Myth and Religion PDF Author: Sharon Paice MacLeod
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786487038
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of Celtic mythology and religion, encompassing numerous aspects of ritual and belief. Topics include the presence of the Celtic Otherworld and its inhabitants, cosmology and sacred cycles, wisdom texts, mythological symbolism, folklore and legends, and an appreciation of the natural world. Evidence is drawn from the archaeology of sacred sites, ethnographic accounts of the ancient Celts and their beliefs, medieval manuscripts, poetic and visionary literature, and early modern accounts of folk healers and seers. New translations of poems, prayers, inscriptions and songs from the early period (Gaulish, Old Irish and Middle Welsh) as well as the folklore tradition (Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) complement the text. Information of this kind has never before been collected as a compendium of the indigenous wisdom of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose traditions have endured in various forms for almost three thousand years.

Celtic Myth in the 21st Century

Celtic Myth in the 21st Century PDF Author: Emily Lyle
Publisher: University of Wales Press
ISBN: 1786832062
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
This wide-ranging book contains twelve chapters by scholars who explore aspects of the fascinating field of Celtic mythology – from myth and the medieval to comparative mythology, and the new cosmological approach. Examples of the innovative research represented here lead the reader into an exploration of the possible use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Celtic Ireland, to mental mapping in the interpretation of the Irish legend Táin Bó Cuailgne, and to the integration of established perspectives with broader findings now emerging at the Indo-European level and its potential to open up the whole field of mythology in a new way.

Celtic Mythology

Celtic Mythology PDF Author: Hourly History
Publisher: Hourly History
ISBN: 1537584359
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Book Description
The gifted W.B. Yeats wrote of his own people “...even a newspaperman, if you entice him into a cemetery at midnight, will believe in phantoms, for everyone is a visionary if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt, unlike any other, is a visionary without scratching.” This introduction to Celtic Mythology will serve the novice well – for it is a complicated history with the earliest written records destroyed by the marauding Vikings. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Arrival of the Tuatha dé Danann ✓ Hibernia ✓ The Main Gods of the Celtic Pantheon ✓ Celtic Life and Rituals ✓ Sources of Celtic Mythology ✓ The Effect of Christianity and Beliefs and Superstitions The oral tradition harks back to 4000BCE and is a compilation of myths and cultures of many different peoples including the Indo-Iranians, Slavs, Greeks, Germans, Austrians and finally, the Gauls, who washed up on the shores of the Emerald Isle. Whatever aspect of this rich, mystical and lavishly embellished heritage you would like to investigate further you will find the author has supplied a marker to guide you on your way.

Ireland's Animals

Ireland's Animals PDF Author: Niall Mac Coitir
Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd
ISBN: 1848895259
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
Niall Mac Coitir provides a comprehensive look at the folklore, legends and history of animals in Ireland, and describes their relations with people, being hunted for food, fur, sport, or as vermin, and their position today. A final section, inspired by stories of animal transformation, looks at twelve animals and how we can enrich our lives by visualising ourselves with their special qualities. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated compilation of folklore, legends and natural history will delight all with an interest in Ireland's animals.

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend PDF Author: Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 9780500279755
Category : Celts
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Contains entries on Celtic myth, religion, and folklore in Britain and Europe between 500 BC and 400 AD.

Animals in Irish Society

Animals in Irish Society PDF Author: Corey Lee Wrenn
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438484364
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Irish vegan studies are poised for increasing relevance as climate change threatens the legitimacy and longevity of animal agriculture and widespread health problems related to animal product consumption disrupt long held nutritional ideologies. Already a top producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, Ireland has committed to expanding animal agriculture despite impending crisis. The nexus of climate change, public health, and animal welfare present a challenge to the hegemony of the Irish state and neoliberal European governance. Efforts to resist animal rights and environmentalism highlight the struggle to sustain economic structures of inequality in a society caught between a colonialist past and a globalized future. Animals in Irish Society explores the vegan Irish epistemology, one that can be traced along its history of animism, agrarianism, ascendency, adaptation, and activism. From its zoomorphic pagan roots to its legacy of vegetarianism, Ireland has been more receptive to the interests of other animals than is currently acknowledged. More than a land of "meat" and potatoes, Ireland is a relevant, if overlooked, contributor to Western vegan thought.

Animals and Humans

Animals and Humans PDF Author: Kristina Jennbert
Publisher: Nordic Academic Press
ISBN: 918550937X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Animals have always been an important part of the human life-world, and they stand out as significant forces in the Old Norse mythology -- here they became imaginary creatures with strong characters. In Animals and Humans archaeologist Kristina Jennbert explores the relationship between animals and humans in Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the Viking Period. Real animals and fantastical creatures in Midgard became mouthpieces for human characteristics and reflections of peoples social position. Animals were of great importance in everyday life and in rituals, and as metaphors in social identity and power relations. In the course of time, however, the human view has changed, and nature has increasingly been subjected to humans. Through her detailed analysis, Jennbert raises questions about the boundary between human and animal, as well as about our ethical and moral precedence.